Today is partly about the Tower of Babel, so I’m back to the language thing. Perhaps mrsdoe’s comment from chapter 10 is correct in that previously it was a difference in dialect only, as verse 1 indicates that “the whole world had one language and a common speech.”
In verse 4, we read how egotistical and proud mankind was, wanting to build a tower to Heaven.
What I find interesting, is that they were all working together, perhaps in unity. Even though they were working in unity, God needed to interrupt them as is was a self-centred motivation. The result of their unity was being scattered over the world and given different languages. Today, we may have the most “un-unity” (probably not a word) possible in the world, and that too, is from being self-centred.
Lock Your Wings 
I like that thought. Even if everyone believes and agrees that their actions are “good” and unity is achieved, it does not justify them as good in God’s eyes. Too often I feel like we long to be unified, but it’s important that we are unified in a way that is pleasing to God
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Agreed. And it’s interesting that it is possibly God’s plan to have so much disunity in the world.
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I googled for more information about the Tower of Babel because on the surface it does seem that it would be a much better plan to have one common language. This point that stood out for me was this:
Greatest strength: unity.
Greatest fear: scattering.
Greatest desire: making a name for themselves.
The people were in contradiction to God’s commands (to spread out and rely on Him) so He took away their greatest strength to draw them back to His plan:
From this commentary:
http://faithalone.org/magazine/y2012/12F1.html
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Interesting. I hadn’t that of the command of being fruitful and filling all the earth to literally mean to scatter themselves.
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It is interesting how soon we forget judgment and previous wrong doings. With the flood behind them, even the offspring from a righteous man (Noah) is of no help to this generation of mankind. A good reminder that it is only the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit that can remove the wickedness and sinful lusts of human desires.
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